Mushrooms are a delicacy and are enjoyed not only in autumn. There are various types of mushrooms that can add their own aroma to a dish. But how should you handle mushrooms? Can you store them? Can you reheat them? Here we have the most important tips about mushrooms:
Preparing mushrooms properly
How do I clean mushrooms?
Ideally, mushrooms should be cleaned dry. Mushrooms should only be rinsed briefly under running water, because they absorb too much liquid that way. There are special mushroom brushes that you can use to simply brush them off. If you do not want to afford something like that, you can also remove coarse dirt with a brush or with kitchen paper. The mushroom stems can be used for eating without any problem. However, if the ends are dried out or very dirty, simply cut them off sparingly. The mushroom caps do not need to be peeled.
Which dishes are mushrooms suitable for?
Mushrooms can be used in many ways; they taste good boiled, braised, steamed or grilled. Cultivated mushrooms can even be used raw in salads. You can also dry mushrooms or pickle them in vinegar and oil. Dried mushrooms can be soaked in water or even in wine. During preparation, you can use the soaking liquid in the same way.
What types of mushrooms are there?
Button mushroom
This is probably the most popular mushroom and it is used for almost everything: as a soup, as a cream, as a sauce, baked, in pies, for salads. Cultivated button mushrooms can also be eaten raw.
Oyster mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms have a delicate distinctive flavor and are often used for sauces, soups, light meat dishes or terrines
Extra tip: Do not use pieces that are too large, as they unfortunately become tough.
Shiitake mushroom
This type of mushroom is often used in sauces, soups, egg and rice dishes, for fillings or in salads.
Chanterelle/Eierschwammerl
This is very often steamed plain or used in the famous chanterelle sauce. Otherwise it also tastes good in soups as a garnish, in terrines or marinated in salads.
Porcini mushroom
The porcini mushroom has its own distinctive flavor and tastes very good in cream sauces, baked, in pies and terrines, or marinated in salads.
How do I store mushrooms?
Unfortunately, mushrooms spoil very quickly because of their high water content. Fresh mushrooms should therefore be stored airy, loose, dry and cool. Under no circumstances in plastic bags. Ideally, fresh mushrooms should be processed immediately. If you do not want to process the mushrooms right away, they will keep in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for about 1-2 days. If the mushrooms are cooked, they can be kept in the refrigerator for another day.
Can you freeze raw mushrooms?
Mushrooms should not be frozen raw. It is best to prepare the mushrooms into a dish and then put it in the freezer while still hot (!). Do not let it cool down, because bacteria can form that way.
Blanch mushrooms, dry them well and fill them into freezer containers – this way the mushrooms will keep for about 6 months in the freezer.
Extra tip: Once the mushrooms have been thawed, they must be used immediately. It is best to use the mushrooms without thawing them; unfortunately, they quickly become mushy.
Button mushrooms stay beautifully white
To keep the beautiful white color of button mushrooms, pour lemon juice over the mushrooms immediately after washing and cutting them.
Can you reheat mushrooms?
In the past, it was repeatedly recommended not to reheat mushrooms again. But that is not true! Mushroom dishes can easily be reheated if they were cooled quickly after preparation and stored at 2 to a maximum of 4° C. When reheating, make sure they reach a minimum temperature of 70° C.
Extra tip: If you have a sensitive stomach, do not drink alcohol with mushroom dishes, as this can lead to stomach discomfort.
Read also: Dried mushrooms as seasoning
Photo by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at
